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Simplehuman’s CEO on Why He Embraced the Idea of Selling a $250 Trashcan

Having started my career in the pre-technology era, I am very accustomed to talking rather than texting. Plus, being from New York City, I frequently use my hands to communicate, gesturing to add emphasis or other emotions. All of this means that this new era of intelligent devices–objects you can speak to and wave at–is a very comfortable one for me.

I chatted with Frank Yang, the founder and CEO of Simplehuman, inventor of products primarily for kitchens and bathrooms (where people spend most of their nonworking and nonsleeping time). He said at first he resisted creating a voice- and motion-activated trash pail. Do consumers want a high-tech trashcan with a $250 price tag?

It appears they do–the company says the new product is selling well at major retailers, including Bed Bath & Beyond. (Simplehuman would not disclose any specific sales figures, but says that the pail accounts for 60 percent of total company sales.) It’s especially popular among consumers with physical limitations and cooks who want the garbage pail open and waiting for them (as much as 10 feet away) when they go to throw away messy garbage. Yang doesn’t believe in technology for technology’s sake, however. “Unless the tool makes you live more efficiently, it doesn’t make sense,” he says.